The present invention relates to a stick for games that are played with a puck or a ball, wherewith in a dribbling maneuver the player steers the puck or the ball alternately with one and the other side of the stick blade by repeatedly turning the blade from side to side with the aid of the stick shaft, as in ice hockey, floor ball and like games.
Although the invention is described in the following with reference to an ice hockey stick, it will be understood that the invention can also be applied equally as well to sticks used in other, similar games in which a puck or ball is used.
A typical ice hockey stick has a straight shaft and a blade which extends out from the bottom of the shaft, either straight or curved in the longitudinal direction. The blade can be considered as a growth from the shaft which is connected directly and rigidly with the heel of the blade. The blade heel is thus not able to spring in relation to the shaft. As a result of the intrinsic springiness of the blade, the toe of the blade can be flexed or bent laterally outwards in relation to the shaft when subjected to a laterally acting force. When subjected to a laterally acting force, the blade will skew relative to the shaft to a greater or lesser extent, depending where the force acts on the blade.
When the blade rotational centre, formed at the point of intersection between the longitudinal centre axis of the shaft and the longitudinal centre axis of the blade, is located in the heel of the blade, the blade will be turned about this rotational centre when carrying out a dribbling maneuver in which the blade is repeatedly turned from side to side. This means that the blade toe is forced to move around a relatively long circular arch whose radius corresponds to the full length of the blade. The movement is thus slow and requires a relatively pronounced arm movement. Because the blade is relatively long and because the shaft is joined to the heel of the blade, the force which the player is able to apply to the toe of the blade by turning the shaft is greatly reduced. This consequently reduces the strength with which the player can tackle for the puck in close-in tackling situations.
Players hold their sticks at different angles between the stick shaft and blade, depending on the style adopted by and the size of the player concerned. A player of large stature with an upright playing posture will use a smaller angle between shaft and blade, so that the blade will nct be positioned too far from his body. A shorter player who moves with a more crouched or hunched posture will normally use a larger angle between shaft and blade, so that the blade will not be too close to his body and to increase the stick range. In order to obtain a good overview of the game, a player should endeavour to adopt a playing style or posture that is as upright as possible.
GB-A-876,414 describes a golf club, primarily a putter, where the part of the shaft that connects with the blade is swung in an arch inwardly over the blade. This configuration has been employed to avoid twisting of the stick during a putting stroke, by distributing weight and balance so that the combined weight of the shaft and the part of the blade connected thereto, which lies on the side bordering the intersection line between the longitudinal axis of the shaft and the blade, is essentially the same as the weight of the remaining part of the blade.
A club of this kind is intended solely for impact with one surface of the blade and for impact at solely one single point. It is not constructed for use in games in which the stick is used to dribble a puck or ball where both sides of the blade must be used. In the case of this type of stick, particularly when the stick shall be used as a putter, the shaft and the part of the blade joined thereto must be very rigid. A stick having a weight distribution in accordance with this patent cannot be used to play ice hockey for instance, since the front part of the blade would then need to be very strong or heavy, which would make the blade difficult to handle and greatly increase the weight of the stick as a whole.
FIG. 2 of publication AU-B-19360/88 illustrates a similar stick which is intended for use when playing field hockey and which has a lower part that is swung in over the blade. The stick can be brought to the position illustrated in FIG. 2 when striking the ball, which is effected in the same manner as when striking a golf ball. During play and when making rushes, the player inclines the stick downwards and holds the stick in one hand only and to one side, without turning the blade as when playing ice hockey. The main feature of interest with this type of stick is to strike the ball at an ideal point on the blade.